MScInternational Banking & Finance

Key facts

Why this course?

The MSc in International Banking & Finance is for those wanting to develop careers in financial management within the international banking sector. For those of you already working in finance or banking, the course will enhance your effectiveness by covering the latest developments in the field.

You’ll develop the concepts and skills required by financial managers and financial analysts working in the international banking sector. You’ll also gain an understanding of contemporary financial problems and issues facing international business and banks.

The programme will provide you with:

a good understanding of financial theory and analysis

an appreciation of the nature and functioning of financial markets and institutions

a good working knowledge of accounting information and its use in financial decision-making and analysis

an ability to apply the analysis developed in the course

You’ll study

The taught component of the course is covered in the first two semesters. The research project will take up the third (summer) semester.

Core subjects include Principles of Finance and Accounting & Financial Analysis. Elective subjects include Topics in Corporate Finance and Financial Management for Banks.

Dissertation or three research projects (MSc only)

You’ll work on either a series of research projects or a dissertation, supported by an academic supervisor. You can choose a topic from the broad range of issues covered on the programme.

You’ll be assessed on your ability to select and apply relevant theory and research methods. This work may be linked to an issue raised by, or a problem to be solved for, an employer.

Facilities

Strathclyde’s Business School is one of the largest institutions of its kind in Europe. We've around 200 academic staff and more than 3000 full-time students.

The departments and specialist units work together to provide a dynamic, fully-rounded and varied programme of specialist and cross-disciplinary postgraduate courses.

The MSc International Banking & Finance has been accepted into the CFA Institute University Recognition Program. This status is granted to institutions whose degree program(s) incorporate at least 70% of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK), which provide students with a solid grounding in the CBOK and positions them well to sit for the CFA exams.

Course content

Semester 1

This class provides an introduction to the basic principles of financial decision taking and the theory of finance. It will develop the basic principles of valuation, the nature of risk and uncertainty, and the relationship between risk and returns. While the analysis will be developed in the context of corporate finance, looking at companies’ decisions on the investments in assets and how these investments will be funded and the nature of the markets in which they take place, it will also consider the principles underlying financial reasoning that can be applied on a more general basis.

The aim of this class is to provide you with an understanding of the basic principles of financial accounting and financial analysis, the ability to interpret financial statements and their use in assessing the financial position and performance of companies.

This class provides an introduction to the principles of accounting and the analysis of financial statements. It will enable you to prepare financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and to interpret and analyse these statements. Particular emphasis is placed on the accounting concepts and information employed in financial analysis and decision taking.

You'll develop the ability to prepare and interpret financial statements and construct cash forecasts. In addition, you'll develop an understanding of the demand and supply for accounting information; an appreciation of the role of financial analysis and analysts; and an awareness of the statistical characteristics of accounting numbers.

This class aims to provide an introduction to statistical techniques that are commonly used in finance, a basic understanding of econometric analysis, and an appreciation of the general role of quantitative methods in finance. It also aims to develop your practical computational skills by offering an opportunity to solve problems using statistical software. The class will focus on the application of statistical techniques in empirical analysis in finance.

The aim of the class is to provide you with an understanding of the financial system and the roles and functions of financial markets and institutions. A particular emphasis is placed on understanding the roles of intermediaries such as banks and investment firms.

You'll develop an understanding of the various characteristics and roles of fixed income, equity, and foreign exchange markets. While some attention will be given to the UK financial markets, the global nature of financial markets will be widely discussed. This class aims to equip you with an awareness and understanding of financial markets and institutions in the context of the global economy. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role and contribution of the banking sector.

This class covers the reasons for, and nature of, of financial markets and institutions with a particular focus on banking, the global nature of these markets and their regulation.

Semester 2

In this class, you'll discuss the different ways in which firm's can raise funds, internally and externally, and the role of capital markets in determining the terms on which funding will be available, the costs and risks of difference sources of financing, and the role of taxation.

The class aims to provide you with the knowledge and understanding required for managing the financial aspects of a bank’s business.

By studying the management of a bank’s assets and liabilities, you'll develop a good understanding of the nature of the business of banking. It will develop some of the financial techniques introduced in the core finance classes to consider the decisions and policies of banks.

It contributes to the course aims of using financial theory and analysis in understanding the operations of banks. The class provides you with an understanding and appreciation of the various financial management techniques used by banks.

The aim of this class are to provide a strong grounding in derivatives that may be used to manage the financial risks faced by individuals, financial institutions and business corporations. It places an emphasis on corporate treasury management and the role of derivatives in managing treasury risk.

This is a core class for the MSc in International Banking & Finance. The aim is to develop further the analysis of risk introduced in the core finance class and to introduce you to some additional risk management techniques employed in practice.

It provides an overall view of risk management, but will focus on the application of the analysis within the context of the banking sector. The class employs some of the basic principles of financial analysis to consider the application of risk analysis. It explores issues relating to risk management in the banking sector, with a particular focus on the regulatory requirements stemming from the Basel Accord.

Elective classes

The aim of this class is to develop an appreciation of the investment characteristics of different types of securities, particularly bonds and shares, and to develop an understanding of how such securities are valued. This class will build on the analysis developed in the first semester class, Principles of Finance. It will consider the determination of interest rates, the valuation of bonds, the management of bond portfolios, and the valuation of equities.

The aim of this class is to examine the Markowitz (1952) approach to optimal portfolio selection. The class explores issues relating to optimal portfolio choice and issues in practical fund management.

This class aims to build on the knowledge, understanding, and skills acquired in the Quantitative Methods in Finance class and extends it further, especially in the context of time series and panel data analysis. It focuses on applications in finance of econometric techniques and is extended to incorporate panel data analysis methods with their application in finance.

The course aims to give you a foundation in the theory and practice of management accounting. It emphasises the role of the management accountant in helping the owners and managers of a business to make decisions.

Different accounting information is required for different purposes: conventional cost accounting emphasises product costs for the allocation of costs between the cost of goods sold and inventories; decision-relevant costs provide information to help managers make resource allocation decisions; and responsibility accounting, cost control and performance measurement focus on both financial and non-financial information.

This course provides an introduction to the theory and practice of management accounting. It covers management accounting principles and their relevance to the business environment. It further involves a detailed exploration of the uses of management accounting information in the financial decision making process.

The aim of the class is to provide you with an understanding of the main ideas of behavioural finance. A particular emphasis is placed on understanding the roles of non-rational actions and the development of new financial models that incorporate these ideas.

You'll engage with up to date research and develop a critical view of existing and new finance theories and models. It aims to introduce you to the rapidly evolving area of behavioural finance. You'll develop an understanding of behavioural finance and an appreciation of its possible implications and applications.

This class introduces you to behavioural finance and provides you with an understanding of the main flaws of 'traditional' finance theory from a behavioural finance viewpoint. It will allow you to develop the ability to discuss issues arising from violations of the rationality assumption and will enable you to evaluate new theoretical models based on research in psychology.

The course will allow you to appreciate the role of new developments in finance and their possible implications for established views of the functioning of financial markets.

Semester 3

This involves the preparation of three research projects. Two of these projects will provide experience of undertaking empirical work in Finance. The choice of the topic for the third topic is left to each individual, though the topic must be approved by the Course Director.

Learning & teaching

The taught component of the course will be covered in the first two semesters. Both of these semesters will run for 12 weeks. At MSc level the research project stage of the course is taken during the summer semester.

Assessment

Every class will either have a class test or assignment during Semester 1 and 2. The exams for all classes will take place at the end of the semester in January and June.

Entry requirements

an Honours degree, or equivalent, in accounting, economics, business studies or a subject area with a strong quantitative bias. The programme requires no prior knowledge of finance or banking

Scottish and non-UK EU postgraduate students

Scottish and non-UK EU postgraduate students may be able to apply for support from the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). The support is in the form of a tuition fee loan and for eligible students, a living cost loan. Find out more about the support and how to apply.

Students coming from England

Students ordinarily resident in England may be to apply for postgraduate support from Student Finance England. The support is a loan of up to £10,280 which can be used for both tuition fees and living costs. Find out more about the support and how to apply.

Students coming from Wales

Students ordinarily resident in Wales may be to apply for postgraduate support from Student Finance Wales. The support is a loan of up to £10,280 which can be used for both tuition fees and living costs. Find out more about the support and how to apply.﻿

Students coming from Northern Ireland

Postgraduate students who are ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland may be able to apply for support from Student Finance Northern Ireland. The support is a tuition fee loan of up to £5,500. Find out more about the support and how to apply.

Contact us

Apply

There’s no need to make an application for all taught postgraduate courses from the Department of Accounting & Finance. It’s possible to transfer to one of the departments other programmes should you wish to do so after starting your studies. You should just choose one course for application purposes.